Houston Dynamo sign Chilean defender Jose Bizama

The Houston Dynamo have acquired Chilean defender Jose Bizama from Huachipato FC, the club announced Thursday. The deal was completed with Targeted Allocation Money.

A 25-year-old capable of playing fullback, center back or central midfielder, Bizama has been a mainstay for Los Acereros (The Steelers) in recent years, with more than 100 appearances for the club. His play has also earned the attention of Chilean national team manager Reinaldo Rueda, who called up Bizama and handed him a handful of caps last year.

"We are pleased to announce the addition of Jose Bizama to the Houston Dynamo. He joins our club in the prime of his career and is eager to contribute to the success of our team,” GM Matt Jordan said in a club statement. “With his quality as a player, strong mentality and ability to play a variety of positions, he will strengthen our already talented group of defenders as we enter the second half of our season.”

Bizama is the Dynamo's first signing of the Secondary Transfer Window.

“Jose is a player that brings international experience with the Chilean national team and is a good, versatile player that can play as a right back, central back and defensive midfielder,” said head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “He will bring a lot of good qualities to the team and provide possibilities to play in different positions. He just turned 25, so we also looked at that as we think and plan for the future of the Houston Dynamo.”